Hyatt, union schedule talks through Monday

Hotel workers and Hyatt Hotels Corp. have scheduled talks through Monday, making a strike during the holiday weekend unlikely.

Meanwhile, negotiations continued late Wednesday with Hilton Hotels Corp., and talks were scheduled Thursday with Sheraton Hotels.

A master contract covering all three employers and other Chicago-area hotels is set to expire at midnight Thursday but the union is negotiating separately with the largest employers for the first time.

These are the first talks since 2002, when a strike was narrowly averted. The industry is in much better financial shape than four years ago, when hotels still were reeling from the slump following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Workers are looking to share in the rebound.

However, industry experts say room rates only recently have returned to their pre-Sept. 11 peak, and hotels are looking to hold down labor costs.

Talks have proceeded slowly.

"There's been progress," Unite Here's Local One spokesman Lars Negstad said Wednesday. "It remains to be seen whether it's enough. We continue to be concerned about Hyatt."

Hyatt workers have authorized a strike if necessary, and the union has been preparing by issuing debit cards that can be loaded with strike benefits of $200 per week.

Hyatt released a statement Wednesday expressing hope that weekend talks will "resolve the issues."

"While we respect our employees' rights to express their opinions, we are disappointed that a strike has been authorized," the statement said, adding, "Hyatt employees have always enjoyed some of the best compensation and benefits of any Chicago-area hotel."

The average pay for union hotel housekeepers and restaurant workers in Chicago is about $12 per hour.